Pygmalion and Galatea
by lustbader064
Summary: Itachi, the artist, has had his fair share of great works. All of them so beautiful, other artist's works would pale in comparison. What he didn't expect was for him to fall in love with his work. itanaru, new summary. :D
1. Chapter 1

**Pygmalion and Galatea**

**By lustbader064**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Misashi Kishimoto does (and Itachi). I do not own the Mona Lisa, Leonardo Da Vinci does. I do not own the Venus de Milo, uhh… someone else does. I do not own the legend of Pygmalion and Galatea, our late ancestors made it up.**

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He ignored the sweat that trickled down the side of his face, fully concentrated on the forming statue in front of him. His long, skilled artist hands worked fervently to hone the perfection of his marble art, gaze never leaving for too long. The hammer and chisel had a very comfortable weight in his hands as he used it to shape the figure.

Stopping momentarily to admire his work, the man continued laboring after a swift observation. A rather phantom of a smile ghosted on his lips every once in a while every time his flesh would touch the stone. This was a different man contrary to the cold ice that he was outside his art studio. He would rarely smile; much less give attention to the human beings which were God's creation, His art… but instead immerse all his free time into this piece of rock.

But to this man, it was no piece of rock. It was a piece of his life, his self. After devoting countless hours and days to make it into what it was now, he would fall into immediate despair if something were to happen to his statue.

The work of art was a marble statue of a young male, an imaginary person that this particular artist would dream of each night with longing and desire. He had imagined him to be petite but exquisite; with slender curves only women should posses. Each limb was proportioned and bent into a graceful arch in its pose. The artist had placed slight muscles to indicate his masculinity but not too much to destroy his feminine wonder. The face was given much care to make, taking into account the high cheekbones and angled jaw; the eyes were also given detail. Even though they were colorless, the artist had carved them in a way that made them unique along with the delicately carved eyebrows and long eyelashes.

It was a beautiful androgynous male.

The artist was almost finished with it and the mere thought gave him immeasurable delight. He was known for making outstanding, magnificent art works and he has to say that this was his best yet.

This man was a fan of both the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo and having taken these two artworks as his prime inspiration, he came across this statue. The Mona Lisa is said to have one of Leonardo Da Vinci's little secrets. It was said that the legendary painter had not set a specific gender for the Mona Lisa and had shown his infatuation with the goddess iconology through the painting. Da Vinci believed in the balance of both male and female and that in order for one human to reach enlightenment, one must hold _both_ male and female elements.

That was where our painter got his wondrous idea of a female-looking male. He believed that if he was to make the ultimate work of art, he would need to believe that he was replicating the perfect human being of both genders. But that alone was not enough for the dear painter. He needed to give his art something special and enigmatic that will want the spectators look deeper and deeper into its mystery.

The Venus de Milo, according to experts, is the exact art replica of the Greek goddess, Venus's image. Having been said to be made of mysterious powers the statue was first found in a deserted field as lumps of rock. When residents had attempted to put the statue together, they were amazed at its beauty but were greatly disappointed that she had lacked arms. Even so, they could not deny the statue's beauty despite being armless. This _incomplete art_ had attracted tourists and scholars around the world and all had wondered, 'where are her arms?' This proved to be of high interest amongst them and started many centuries of searching. They found none and their theories of what the Venus would look like, complete, still remain unsolved. This gave the Venus de Milo a mysterious background that made her famous around the world.

That was what our young artist wants. He wanted his art to be beautiful but he also wanted it to be a mystery. There would be no joy at looking at a boring statue, even if it was beautiful. He would make his art into some thing wonderful that even though he cannot make it look as beautiful if not more than the goddess herself, he will try to make his art resemble something more inferior… something human.

An artists' goal is to either imitate God's art, or make another art totally in itself. Our artist's goal is to make his statue look life-like but at the same time creating another type of enigmatic art, something akin to divinities. He wanted to make his art into something legendary, something historical. It was an ambition every one in his family had; he just didn't act like a pompous prick like all of them.

Speaking of family, our artist's brother suddenly burst into his art studio and almost tipping off his precise carving with a sudden opening of the door. "I've been calling you for the past hour. Dinner's ready Itachi."

He didn't even spare the young male a glance as he all but carefully placed down his tools on the stool beside him and gave a final check on his work, to see if he made any mistakes by his brother's entrance then grabbed a blanket to cover it gently. "I already told you I won't be eating tonight, Sasuke. And didn't father always tell you to knock before entering another artist's studio? I could have made a mistake with my work."

His little brother was quite irritating to disturb him in his sanctuary, always acting like the spoiled brat of the family. Itachi growled softly in his throat at the thought of making a mistake on his lovely art. If he _had_ made one, Sasuke would have Hell to pay. He would not afford a single mistake, he _could_ not.

Sasuke huffed at remembering their one of their father's most important reminders. _Never, under any circumstances, never disturb an artist at work. Complete concentration is a necessity in making fine arts and every disturbance may well lead to the destruction of these arts. You must always proceed with caution and always control yourself if you want to create magnificent artwork like the rest of our ancestors have._ Their father would always say that but it slipped the young Uchiha's mind tonight.

"I'm sorry." Itachi felt no remorse in his tone. "I'll try to remember that next time. By the way, what are you working on? A sculpture?" The younger male had started to advance towards Itachi and his marble statue but was stopped in his tracks when his brother moved in to block his path.

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to see it Sasuke, much less go near it." Itachi's tone spoke hostility and held a very real threat underneath. He really didn't want anyone else touching his statue.

The young brat glared at his brother but knew it would do nothing. Itachi was known to act as cold as ice and was as emotional as a rock that his glare took no effect on him. He was also a subtly stubborn individual and would often times do as he wished without thinking of what others thought about it. It was almost as if like his brother was of another world.

But then, why the hostility? Why would he keep his work away if one day, he would show it to millions of others? Sasuke was just one man and what harm would it be to take a peek? Was this statue so important to Itachi that he would not let anyone else see it?

"And why not? Don't tell me this statue is some kind of replica of your secret lover that you don't want the others to find out." The idea of Itachi and a lover seemed gross in Sasuke's mind that it took him a while to process the thought. Itachi did not love. It was like telling other people that it was raining cats and dogs. It was an impossible thing.

His brother did not move from his position between the statue and Sasuke but when Sasuke started to move past him did he move. The shorter male was almost at hand's reach to the statue before he was harshly pulled back and thrown to the door with a slam. "You should learn to respect other's works, little brother. Some artist's do not like it when filthy hands touch their masterpiece."

Sasuke slumped to the floor; the impact was not that hard and only left him at a momentary daze. He looked up to see Itachi moving back his statue and watched as he slightly lifted the blanket covering it with uncharacteristic care. He saw how those eyes softened just by looking at the marble rock and wondered more what the hell the statue was.

"I am disappointed. It seems you have not yet reached the level of enlightenment some of us has acquired." Itachi spoke in a soft voice. "Tell me Sasuke, have you ever made something that took your **all** into making it?"

The duck-butt styled male was confused. _Why the hell is Itachi talking about this 'enlightenment'- stuff?_ His eyes tried to peer underneath the blanket but Itachi placed it back down again gently, covering the sculpture from view. Sasuke saw how his brother's touch lingered on it and detected a very weird expression on his face. _Was that relief and contentment?_

Itachi's red eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness as he regarded Sasuke's position on the floor. He took slow steps towards his brother and the younger male wondered what he was going to do next. The older one brought up his hand and used it to grip Sasuke's hair, tight enough to hurt and hurled him uncaringly up from the tiled floor.

"Have you ever made any piece of art that took an important role of your life? Have you, Sasuke?" Itachi pinned his brother to the door behind him and fixed dangerous looking orbs at him that Sasuke couldn't tear his eyes away. "Any piece of art at all… be it ugly or unworthy of praise, have you ever created one that _touched _your soul in such a way you can't imagine life without it?

"A special piece of art… THAT, Sasuke, is what I am referring to. A piece of art that will make you complete just by being there. If you can understand what I am saying and have actually _made_ one like it, come to me and you may have the privilege of seeing _MY_ special piece of art." The older male released his tight hold on his brother's hair and moved away, giving space for the other. Sasuke stared at his older brother as if he was delusional and smoothed his hair out into its usual style. _What the fuck is he talking about?_

The older Uchiha seemed to have read Sasuke's thoughts as he turned his back to him and released an exasperated sigh. Of all the people, he thought that Sasuke would understand what he meant. But it seems that being coddled by many and growing up, neglected of father's praises might have caused this lack of understanding. He just wished that his brother would one day realize it before art will just become a hollow void in his life. After treating art as a form of competition, he wished that Sasuke would once again see it as something much more wonderful.

"Leave, Sasuke. Tell mother I won't be eating."

He returned to his statue and stayed beside it, comfortable in the inanimate object's presence. Itachi could feel Sasuke standing up behind him and hearing the opening and closing of the door, briefly illuminating the room and once again shrouding it in darkness as he left Itachi and his art alone. The Uchiha looked up at the tall glass window in front of him and saw the full moon, partly covered by a misty cloud.

_I wouldn't be able to sleep again tonight, it seems._ He thought in his head as he took off the blanket from his sculpture and retrieved his working tools. _Back to work._

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Uchiha Sasuke grudgingly stomped his foot like a tantrum-throwing child as he descended the stairs of their large mansion. Ever since he was young, he had always admired and idolized his older brother, Uchiha Itachi. Itachi was a child prodigy, having shown inexplicable talent with art at the tender age of four. He was also known as a genius that would sometimes show itself effortlessly through the different artworks he would make. A young Da Vinci, others would say.

The Uchiha family was a large family that was well-known in history as a great contributor and supporter of the artistic cultures. Having placed numerous of its ancestral history into the deep web of art history, the words 'Uchiha' and 'art' would almost immediately be partnered with the other. One cannot talk about the Uchihas without talking about art and one cannot talk about art without talking about the Uchihas.

And so having been born into an art-crazed family, it was only tradition that Sasuke follow their footsteps. And follow he did.

He was not an art elite like his older brother and his drawings were only slightly above average. But at times, Sasuke also made some very exquisite works and although not at par with his brother's skills, was very admired by many others. He had made art into something his life revolved around on and when his brother had spoken that his art seemed _incomplete_ because he lacked that so-called 'special piece of art', he was greatly angered.

How dare he? Just because he was better at Sasuke at art didn't mean that he had the right to demoralize his beliefs in art like that. Art was still special to Sasuke even though he knew Itachi loved art more than he did. But that didn't mean he could say those things to him in such a spiteful manner.

The young Uchiha finally reached the bottom of the stairs and he headed to the dining room and saw his mother and father sitting on the chairs, waiting for him. His father looked up from whatever papers he was reading and asked his youngest son, "Where is your brother, Sasuke?"

"He won't be eating tonight. Itachi is finishing up his _work_." Sasuke replied, hissing out the last part with much venom in his voice.

Putting the papers he had been holding, Fugaku and Mikoto too, looked at their son in a disappointing manner. "What was that, Sasuke?" They were both clearly disapproving of Sasuke's spite towards what Itachi felt about art even if Mikoto just showed it with a small frown on her motherly features, Fugaku looked like he would erupt like a volcano at any given time. "Don't you dare talk about something as important as an artist's passion into his work like that. You are being impolite to your co-artist. Haven't I told you that when you were younger son or were you not listening in the importance of passion in art?"

_Even Mom and Dad…_ "I'm sorry Father, Mother," Sasuke apologized as he dropped into a bow that hid his face and made sure his voice sounded remorseful. "That was really disrespectful and I had not shown the courtesy each and every artwork must be given… even if they are insignificant."

"Just remember to never do what you did again… okay?" Mikoto asked her son, that familiar soft look returning to her features while she motioned for him to come and sit on his chair by the table.

Following her command, he stood up from his bow and gave her a small smile. "Yes mother." Mikoto smiled back while Fugaku returned to reading his papers.

Sasuke eyed the cooked steak in front of him and picked up his fork, he thought about something in his head for a moment and stayed still in his chair before his hand came down and he started to eat the well- prepared meal by his mother.

"Itadakimasu."

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A/N: How is it for a chappie 1? I'll post Chapter 2 when my muse comes. I'm just glad Itachi has one, though. Just not yet. XD

If you know the story of Pygmalion and Galatea in Greek Mythology, I'm pretty sure you'll know what will happen in this fic… with a few Sasuke-bashing included.

Reviews are always appreciated.

Love me, hate me, never flame me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Pygmalion and Galatea**

**By lustbader064**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I also do not own the story of Pygmalion and Galatea (the Greek mythology).**

**Chapter 2**

He grabbed a cup of hot coffee from the counter after just coming from his room. The black-haired man downed almost half of the drink in just one gulp before proceeding to sit down on the table. He turned his eyes to the wall clock in the kitchen and almost groaned out when it read 3:00 in the morning.

Itachi let his long slender artist's hands tread through his long hair while his other hand massaged his pounding temple. The headache was a killer and he swore he could live without it. Despite all his grumblings, he never regretted how he spent his time even if this insufferable headache was one of the effects.

He had finally completed his sculpture of an androgynous male, almost looking like a female when he last saw it. The minutest of detailed were etched onto his face and body, each curve was definable. He placed rich cloths to cover the body, since he didn't sculpt some on. He only carved how his sculpture's body would look like, naked.

As embarrassing as it was for a stoic man like him, he actually had an erection after doing the last examination of his work. The sight of the slender body he made with his tools and marble was so lifelike, it almost seemed real. Itachi almost mistook the statue for a living human.

He stood up from the table, bringing his cup of coffee with him to his studio as he made his way up the stairs. Everyone in the Uchiha family was already asleep in their beds many hours before this and he was glad for the silence. He went inside his room and didn't even open the lights despite the darkness of the early morning. The moonlight that streamed in from the window was enough to illuminate everything in the room.

The man placed the half-empty cup on the table farthest to his artworks and headed over to the alabaster white stone standing beside the window. There, still in the pale light, the blue kimono he placed on it contrasting with the marble, was his creation.

… _his beloved._

Snapping as if out of a trance, he looked at the statue with an expression as if it knew something he didn't. Skeptically, yes but not with disdain. Itachi continued studying it before giving himself back into his old routine and started running his arms down the sides of his work.

His pale hands ghosted over the carved slim arms and shoulders before clasping around the slender neck and then tracing the defined collarbone. The kimono he placed over it was short and sleeveless to show that his work was a young teenager about to become a young adult; the supposed 'blooming' of an adolescent.

The Uchiha leant his head against the hard stone chest, wishing the cold that he felt from it was instead the warmth of a living being before wrapping his arms around it, embracing it. He stayed like that for a few moments, trapped in his own world and started rubbing his hands up and down the shoulders once again, trying to chase the cold from it.

He reared his head and looked at the eyes he carved on the statue which was partially covered by stone hair. He imagined the eyes to be the color of the clear blue sea and the hair to be remembered like the bright yellow sun. The skin to be a smooth and _warm_ and healthy golden tan, sometimes glittering into a bronze in the light.

He brought one hand up and traced the lips on the face, imagining it to be soft and plump and sweet when kissed. He brought his lips to it and brushed against it slightly, thinking that the lips responded back to him. Itachi touched the head of hair and imagined his hands to be treading against it, through the silk-spun hair. He tightened the embrace he still had on the statue and deepened the kiss he had against it, not wishing for the moment to end.

He could not take the unbearable longing anymore. Each day and night he would do this routine, wishing that his creation would somehow respond to his advances, his touches, and his kisses. He had fallen into an unrequited love towards a non-living object. The hopelessness he felt had drowned him into an endless pit of despair and he thinks that he will never climb out of it.

… and he did not wish to.

Itachi continued touching the statue with much love until the moon had set and the sun took its place in the horizon. He stayed like that hours after the sun had risen and ignored the sounds that came from the kitchen downstairs and immersed himself in the world of his art.

-------

Itachi was still in his art studio when Mikoto called him down for breakfast. A tension was lingering in the air when the eldest son of the Uchiha family joined them as the youngest glared heatedly at his older sibling. Fugaku, the patriarch of the family coughed slightly to call his son's attention and to also divert his younger son's glare.

"Itachi," he called.

"Yes, father?" the long-haired 26 year old said back.

"From what I heard from Sasuke, you seem to be working on a new art project. It was a sculpture, he said."

Mikoto heard her husband's statement and joined in with glee, "Oh that must be so wonderful Itachi. You have to show it to me sometime."

Looking at his mother from across the table, Itachi could only reply against her enthusiasm, "Of course mother."

"How hypocritical. You show it to mom but you don't show it to me…" Sasuke said under his breath but the other Uchihas ignored him as Itachi continued.

"But I'm afraid that I cannot show it to you just yet. It is still not finished…" he said even if his sculpture was already done. He just thought of spending some more time alone with his work before he showed it to other people.

"Of course, of course. Just show it whenever you feel like it okay, Itachi? Or whenever you are available."

"Thank you for understanding mother."

Mikoto only smiled back at Itachi while Fugaku gave a stiff nod in affirmation. Sasuke seethed at his seat while looking at his family. It was _so_ not fair.

The family ate their breakfast in silence and the eldest son was the first to finish his meal. He stood up from his seat and excused himself from the table before placing his dishes on the sink, cleaning it before heading upstairs. But before he left the dining room, he said to his parents,

"Mother, Father, I will need to go out later to buy things for my work so I will not be back until late in the evening."

"Why Itachi? We have a full stock of art materials in the stock room. Is there something missing in there?" Mikoto asked her son.

"No mother, it's just that what I am looking for is not there. What I need can only be imported from Iwa so I am heading to the importers in Kiri. I hope it will not be a bother…" he explained.

"What you're looking for must be rare, yes?" Fugaku asked.

"Yes, father."

"Then why don't you just settle for the ones we have? I'm sure that the quality of the stuff in the stock room is enough, right? I bet you're just being picky as usual," this time it was Sasuke who spoke up and he ignored the looks he got from his family members.

Itachi who was used to his actions, just replied with a nonchalant voice, "Don't you have better things to do Sasuke other than bothering me?"

Silence greeted the long-haired man while Fugaku and Mikoto continued to eat. They were both used to the tension between their two sons and treated the situation with unusual familiarity. Sasuke, on the other hand was again, fuming on the spot.

Seeing that his little brother was speechless, Itachi resisted the urge to give a smug smirk and said simly, "I thought so," he turned to leave and went up to his room, probably freshening up before going out, leaving the Uchihas with relative silence once again.

-------

It had just taken a few bus rides before he arrived at the town he said he would go to. Kiri was a ways away from Konoha and would take 4 hours to reach it if you didn't count the traffic. Bus rides were much quicker to ride than private utility cars and they often rode through the roads with not much cars.

Kiri was a small village known for its great beaches and excellent fish exporting. Since the place was near the ocean, they were a great import and export point for all types of deliveries on water. If you wanted the latest products of anything about everything, then Kiri is the place for you.

The bus Itachi was on just passed the large bridge of Nami that was named the 'The Great Naruto Bridge'. The architecture of the bridge was amazing and the length and size of it was incredible but it made Itachi wonder why they would name an architectural wonder after an ingredient of noodles.

The vehicle stopped at a bus station and he got off despite it still being a few miles away from Kiri. Itachi had to visit a few friends of his and he hoped that they had a few good deals this time. He headed for the market place and weaved through the throng of people before arriving at a misleading shop. Itachi entered it just as the dark looming clouds formed and the rain started to fall.

On the outside, the shop looked like a fortunetellers place what with the dark tinted windows and the name of the shop painted on the glass with a luminous saying, "Akatsuki". It made anyone who passed by think that the people who went in and worked here were some kind of occultists or something. But in reality, it was one of the best art agencies Itachi had ever come across with, much better than the one he previously had contracted with, an agency in Konoha named "The Ninja".

The bell on the door jingled and the person behind the counter turned around and greeted, "Welcome to- Itachi! What are you doing here, man?" the man who spoke was sort of bluish and he had tattoos on the side of his face that made him look like he had gills.

"Kisame," Itachi greeted simply. "Anything new?"

"Ah… I really don't know. Why don't you ask Pein-sama if you want more details?"

"Hn. Do you know where he is?"

Pointing at the back of the store with his thumb, "He's at the back. Only Konan, Zetsu and Tobi are the ones with us here. The others are at it with their own shenanigans."

"I see." Itachi immediately headed to the back after giving his friend one last nod before disappearing behind the door. The back room was definitely larger than the front since this was where the real office of Akatsuki was. The front was sort of like a reception area so that it wouldn't be so crowded at the back.

In the middle of the room was a man who had vibrant orange hair that had too many piercing on his face for it to be healthy. He sat behind a large mahogany table that was placed there for business and near him, a woman with bright blue hair sat by his side, a paper flower pinning her hair up. Then farther from them, sitting on a couch was a man who wore a swirling orange mask and beside him was another man who had a head piece on that looked like a plant.

"Ah, Itachi. It's a surprise to see you here. It's been quite a while hasn't it? Do you need something?" Pein, the orange haired piercing freak asked.

"I was just wondering if you're holding an art show anytime soon. I just finished my new batch of works and was hoping that it could be displayed. Of course, under my same codename…"

Everyone in the room raised their eyebrows in curiousity. "What's gotten you so excited? You never usually want to show your works," Zetsu asked the Uchiha.

Not answering for a while, it was a moment before he replied, "I just wanted to show it now. I just think that they're feeling... lonely… without being seen by others, just collecting dust in my room…"

It was rare for the Uchiha to sound so uncertain of something that they were so suspicious on what these artworks were. That is until Konan remembered something Itachi said once before.

"Is this about that dream you had? You know, about that blonde?" she asked him.

She thought that he wasn't going to answer her question because they all knew from the day he said anything about the dream that it was a sensitive subject for him. So imagine her surprise when he said, "Yes, it is."

"The next gallery of work I made has him in all of it," he continued. "I made paintings of him, many of them and I still can't get him out of my head. No matter how much more I work about him, I can't stop."

…

Then he finally surprised all of them by having a smile on his face as he said, "And I also made a sculpture of him…"

"A sculpture? I remember you being in the painting business and statues are a bit of Deidara's sort of thing, right?" Konan asked, a pretty curious expression on her face.

Scowling, Itachi replied to her, "Deidara's not the only one who can do that and yes, my work is more human-looking than Sasori's puppets. Surprised?"

Everyone in the room just nodded dumbly, "Yeah…"

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**A/N: this chapter didn't end pretty well, didn't it? Well, yeah. So after waiting for ah… 5 months? You get this! Don't worry, the next chapter will bring Itachi closer to his muse and Naruto-chan! (That's just one person though::squeal::XD)**

**Wait for it minna! (Ya know, I'm not really a Japanese girl and I started wondering out of the blue why I'm saying: 'Wait for it minna!' when in reality, I am just a proud Filipino citizen… well, can't use Tagalog here since no one will understand me. Pity, pity.)**

**Please Review. (And sorry lots for the blabber.)**


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